2026 President/CEO Annual Meeting Report
It was a warm, sunny evening for our 89th Annual Meeting, and we appreciate everyone that came in to cool off at our meeting. We had 520 members registered for our 89th Annual Member Meeting on Friday, June 12 at Wayne City Schools. If you were unable to attend the meeting, here is a recap of what was presented to the members in attendance.
One of the things that makes electric cooperatives special is that gatherings like our Annual Meeting are not just business meetings -- they are meetings of neighbors, friends, and members who all have a shared stake in the future of our communities.
That cooperative difference matters.
Unlike investor-owned utilities, electric cooperatives were built by the people they serve. In rural America, and especially here in southern Illinois, co-ops were formed because private companies did not see enough profit in bringing electricity to farms and small towns. But local people saw something more important: opportunity, quality of life, and a better future for their families.
Every day, your cooperative works to provide reliable, affordable, and safe electricity to homes, farms, schools, churches, and businesses across our region. Whether it is during the hottest days of summer, the coldest nights of winter, or the severe storms we all know too well, our mission remains the same: keeping the lights on and serving our members.
Because we are member-owned, one of the greatest advantages we can provide is returning value directly to the people we serve. Unlike investor-owned utilities that distribute profits to shareholders, we return our margins back to our members through capital credits. We returned over $2 million in capital credits in 2025 and we will be doing the same thing this year. Active members should look for that bill credit on their August bill. Returning capital credits is a reflection of the cooperative business model and a reminder that this organization belongs to you.
At the same time, we remain focused on controlling costs and keeping electric rates as stable and affordable as possible. One tool that helps us manage fluctuations in wholesale power costs is the power cost adjustment, or PCA. The PCA allows the co-op to respond to changing fuel and power supply costs without making large, permanent changes to base electric rates. When wholesale power costs increase, the PCA helps recover those expenses responsibly, and when costs decrease, members benefit from those reductions as well. Other than the small changes in the PCA, we do not anticipate needing a rate increase over the next year.
Over the past year, we have continued upgrading poles, replacing aging power lines, improving substations, and expanding the use of automation and monitoring technology that helps crews identify and respond to outages more quickly. Reliable electric service starts with a well-maintained system. That is why we continue to make vegetation management and maintenance a priority, helping reduce outage risks and improve service reliability for our members.
Another important step in reliability that we are exploring is the use of battery storage technology to help manage wholesale power costs during periods of peak demand. The price of electricity can rise dramatically during extreme heat or cold when energy use is at its highest, causing us to pay peak demand charges. Battery systems allow us to store energy when costs are lower and use that stored power during those peak pricing periods. We are in the process of installing our first battery storage project at the Wayne City substation. In the long run, this technology has the potential to improve reliability, reduce strain on the electric grid, and help control costs for our members.
Across the country, electric cooperatives and utilities are paying close attention to the rapid growth of large data centers and other high-energy-use facilities. While economic development and new investment can bring opportunities, these facilities can place enormous demands on the electric grid -- sometimes using as much electricity as a small city. That kind of rapid growth raises important questions about generation capacity, transmission infrastructure, long-term reliability, and the impact on costs for existing members. As your cooperative evaluates future opportunities, we believe it is critical that any major new load benefits our local communities without unfairly shifting costs or reliability risks onto the families, farms, and small businesses we already serve. We will ensure that any new large load will pay their own way. Our responsibility is to ensure growth is managed carefully, thoughtfully, and in a way that protects the interests of our membership.
Another issue that continues to shape the future of electric cooperatives is energy legislation and regulation at both the state and federal level. In Illinois, policies related to renewable energy, carbon reduction goals, transmission development, and environmental compliance are changing the energy landscape in significant ways. While many of these efforts are intended to support cleaner energy and long-term sustainability, they can also create real challenges for rural electric systems like ours. Cooperatives must balance reliability, affordability, and regulatory compliance at the same time -- all while serving large geographic areas with relatively low population density.
One concern we continue to monitor is the potential cost impact of mandates that may move faster than the infrastructure and generation resources needed to support them. Reliable baseload power remains critically important, especially during extreme weather events when demand is high and renewable generation may fluctuate. Electric cooperatives support a practical, balanced approach to energy policy that protects reliability and keeps electricity affordable for rural families, farms, schools, and businesses.
Electric cooperatives have always believed that service goes beyond electricity - concern for community is another of our driving principles. Whether through scholarships for local students, youth programs that give students the opportunity to learn how government impacts their communities, employee volunteer efforts that support local projects and events, economic development initiatives, or charitable giving through the WORKS program, we believe that investing in our communities today, helps create a strong future for everyone.
As we look ahead, the energy landscape will continue to evolve. New technologies, renewable energy development, battery storage, electric vehicles, and increased energy demands are changing the way electricity is generated and delivered.
But no matter how much technology changes, our core values will not.
We will continue focusing on reliability.
We will continue focusing on affordability.
And we will continue putting our members first.
That is the cooperative promise.
As your CEO, I want to encourage you to stay engaged with your cooperative. Attend meetings. Ask questions. Vote in board elections. Share your concerns and ideas. Because this cooperative belongs to you.
It is an honor to serve the members of Wayne-White Electric, and together, I believe we can continue building a strong, reliable, and prosperous future for generations to come.
